Did You Know It’s Perfectly Legal for Toddlers to Drink in Wisconsin Bars?

The law is a funny thing. Many states have outdated laws on their books that involve antiquated social issues like women holding hands with men in public and where you’re allowed to tie up your horse downtown. Those are funny, but what’s better is when you find a law that has a really good loophole left wide open in it. You have to be clever and you have to know how to argue it, but it can be done.

This is the case in Wisconsin where a gaping loophole in one legislation basically makes it legal for toddlers to have a drink with their parents in a bar.

Any kid. Any age. Any bar.

According to an attorney who was participating in a traditional Reddit “Ask Me Anything” session, there is a law in Wisconsin that makes it legal for parents to serve their kids a drink in a bar. The attorney said during the Q&A, “You can legally drink with your parents anywhere alcohol is permitted regardless of age."

The actual translation of the written law is this:

"A parent (guardian) can serve their child alcohol. This can be at a bar, home, tailgating, etc. If at a bar, the parent must order the drink and be served the drink and, then, the parent can give the drink to the child."

This is permissible until the child is 18. That’s when the definition of “child” changes. When a person turns 18, his parents are no longer the legal guardian and so, they can’t legally serve the child alcohol.